A Path To Walk
by Freezee
Summary: What if Rusty wasn't a kittypet before he joined the clans? What if he was like a loner, fighting for his own survival? Would cats still make fun of him? Can we still watch Rusty, the not-so-clumsy and not-so-inexperienced apprentice, claim his spot as great leader of Thunderclan? Take a look and see for yourself. The journey has just begun! Rated M for some violence.
1. Rusty Origins

_**Chapter One: Rusty Origins**_

 **Sooo, this unlucky stranger ended up clicking on my story, huh? Yes, I'am talking to You! There are so few people visiting these day, every opportunity to use my rusty voice must be taken. I feared, I would be gathering dust before someone visited. In fact, I did. Don't look at me that way! I'm not THAT old, just been sitting here for a while. By the way... which year is it** ** **?****

 **Well, first of all: If You are like me and don't like to read Author's notes, then You are allowed to skip this part and jump right into it! Just ... Well the usual: Critic is appreciated, my english is bad, enjoy or something like this.**

 **You are still here** **? Seems like at least _somebody_ enjoys reading those... ah ... Right there was something I wanted to tell You, soo if You haven't noticed yet: English is not my mother language and the little bit english I actually managed to learn is pretty pathetic. And this is - ironically - also one reason I'm writing right now. Because, You know, school - or better high school, or the end of high school** ** **?** (don't really know what it's called in english) can be pretty tough and I thought, I could practice a bit writing. I started a few stories and then thought about uploading one, so other people could anonymusly (is that even correct** **?) make fun of me, because my english sucks. Another reason for starting this ... something is simple: I'm bored. Don't really want to actually learn for school and most of my little group of friends are either busy or far away. I'm probably the one and only human who doesn't enjoy holidays. And while I was so bored, I started to reread practically every book I own and stumbled over the Warrior Cats series.**

 **If you haven't read them already, I can only advise You to do so, those are some amazing book and although some might say "ahw that's such a kiddy book, why do you even read this** ** ** **?!"**** I can only say, that I don't care for whom the book is made, I read what I enjoy.  
Sooo I read them for like the thousandth time and wasn't really satisfied, so I stared reading fanfiction.  
Does this sound weird** **? It sure does for me, but maybe You are familiar with It** **? And that's when I decided to write my own Warrior cats story ... and well, now You are here.  
And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to whine about my life like this, it just happend.  
**

 **There's another thing I wanted to tell You: This is planned to be a pretty long story (it has to be, since it is going to show the main story of the first Books) and this is just the first chapter and some people might expect me to frequently update this story (maybe not, maybe nobody likes it. Or maybe nobody will even click it. I'm pretty passimistic) so I warn You: I'm not going to lie, like some other writers.  
You probably know this: You find a decent story, which is written pretty good and is interesting and You read and read and read and suddenly there are no chapter left, even though the story has no ending and the author sais the next chapter will come soon. So You have a look at the date of the last update ... and you see that the author's last update was years ago and he probably forgot the story. So I'm telling you now this: I might not update this because:  
A. I've been busy with school and everything  
B. My inspiration might fail, so I can't think about anything to write.  
C. I might loose interest in Warrior Cats.  
But for now I will continue this and maybe _somebody_ spends his precious time, reading not only those annoying authors notes, but the story as well.  
**

 **So here You find the usual stuff, which You find at most stories: Reviews and critics are appreciated, when You find grammar and spelling errors, it would be really nice if You could tell me, so I can correct them. If You have ideas for my story, You are permitted to share them with us, since I would really like to hear other people on this page as well. (It gets lonely being the only one around)  
**

 **So Yeah this is it! Puh, those notes really became long, sorry ... didn't plan on that.  
So here is the disclaimer: Warrior Cats doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the Erin Hunter(s)**

 **Enjoy!**

Dark shadows hung over the twolegplace, the only light source vanished every few moment behind fast moving clouds. The night was silent, it was too late and too dark for most of the twoleg monster too move now and only a light breeze moved the green leaves high in the trees beside the thunderpath.

Then the shadows moved. A ginger furball rushed over the still thunderpath, chased by two others: one pitch-black and one black-white. The trio vanished into the dense maze of twolegnests, running at top speed, while avoiding twoleg garbage and other obstacles. Eyes flashing in the twilight of the alleys.

This chase seemed to never end, until Rusty ran around the corner, hoping to shake of his followers, and nearly collided head first with a stonewall which blocked his way.

There was no escaping now. No way to flee, no place to hide, he was cornered.

This was a dump idea to start with, sneaking into Bloodclans territory to find some food, but this was the only place he could go and it was pretty unlikely for one cat to get noticed or so he thought. _I should really stop thinking this much..._

But no, he had to be clumsy and draw attention and now he was chased by two bloodthirsty hunters and he was their pray. And he was trapped. He could only turn around and fight now.

He had fought cats before, he had fought over food, over dens, even over water to drink, but now he had to fight for his life and he had to fight alone, plus, most importantly: if he lost he would end up dead. No second chance, no retrying. And they would round the corner any heartbeat now. So the fire colored tom turned around, bend his back and gathered all the courage he had. Fighting in his state was tough, but he had no options.

The cats shot around the corner and struggled to a stop, roughly a fox length from him. For the first time could Rusty take a look at his opponents: he recognized the black and white tom with the strong, black shoulders, a white tail-tip, a torn ear, a scratch from his right brow to his mouth and glowing, amber eyes. He was Smudge, the two toms had met before, they were still small back then, barely two moons old, they had been close friends. Those were better days, where the world was still all right. But he was pretty sure that Smudge didn't even remembered him. And that saddened him a bit.

His companion was a pitch-black she-cat with a white nose and frontpaws, she was a bit smaller then the two toms and had just a few marks on her body. But she looked as dangerous as Smudge beside her. They were still two fox lengths away, but Rusty could see the muscles under their pelts and could only imagine how he had to look: Dirty fur, sticking tightly to his body, rips showing under his skin; he hadn't eaten properly in days and running half a day didn't help his situation. He was a strong cat for his nine moons, he had to, since he had to run away and hunt and fight all his life, since his mother was killed. That was about 4 moons ago. But those cats smelled of crowfood and the she-cat seemed around his age. _Pretty young for a_ fighter.

He was broken from his thoughts by Smudge. "You know the punishment for crossing our border, don't you _kittypet_ _?_ "

Rusty knew.

 _Everyone_ from the whole twolegplace knew and they all heard the stories about evil cats, killing every intruder for only shifting half a paw over their border. But he was neither a stupid defenseless pitiful kitten, nor was he a kittypet! And They would pay for what their kin had done to him.

The Bloodclan had slaughtered his mother and torn apart his family and he wound make every bloodclan cat pay until he found the one responsible. Even the most horrible nightmare couldn't be compared the punishment this one will receive.

The she-cat took his silence for fear "Whats the matter _Kittypet_ _?_ _Fox got your tongue?_ Well, a fox is your least problem now, cause I'm gonna shred you to pieces! _"_ She snarled at him pugnaciously .Smudge turned to the she-cat "We are attacking together, Shadow!"

Bloodlust blocked her ability to listen. "No, i'm attacking him now!" And without waiting for Smudge response, the she-cat jumped at Rusty.

But he was ready.

 _Too Slow_ He thought, as he was already prepared for the attack and jumped to the left will kicking Shadow with his hind leg in the side, sending her crashing into the wall. But before Rusty could attack her, had Smudge already jumped and Rusty wasn't fast enough to dodge this time. The Black-White tom landed on Rusty's back. He acted out of instinct and threw himself back first against the wall and heard surprised grunt from the tom, who let go of his back to steady himself. But Rusty was faster. He turned around quickly and scratched the other tom with this frontpaw over his old scare on the face. He struck again and Smudge tried to jump out of his range but the wall, which blocked Rusty's escape route, blocked now his opponents movement. Rusty's claws hit Smudge face again, this time only a whisker length over the eyes.

Blood ran into them, effectively blocking Smudge vision. He swung his paws in Rusty's direction and although they only hit cold air, this got him the time he needed too shake his head and clear his vision. Rusty jumped this time. But he had underestimated the older tom, who mad a small back step, and Rusty's didn't land on the toms shoulders, as he intended to, but rather in front of Smudge claws. The next moment had he claws stuck in his shoulder and an angry **hiss** in his ear. He hadn't have to think about what to do, he was in this situation many times before and instead of attacking the other tom with his paws, he turn swiftly around, effectively ripping the claws – with a bit ginger fur still stuck under them – out of his shoulder and throwing Smudge of balance. Still turning, Rusty used his hind paws to kick, the still dazzled Smudge, in the side, knocking him over. He sensed his chance and completed, turning and jumped at Smudge, before said tom could even react. He bit down on Smudge foreleg and slashed his claws down his exposed, soft belly, drawing pools of blood with every strike. Smudge counterstrikes grew weaker every heartbeat and his eyes show the pain he was suffering.

Rusty was about to finish him – not to kill him but rather to scare him of - when he was interrupted by Shadow crashing into his side.

He had totally forgotten about the she-cat, which now held him down and scratched his side with her hindpaws. He felt the burning pain with each kick and saw his blood being spilled on the hard floor. Although he knew we might die on this spot, he felt not the smallest bit of fear. He enjoyed the thrill of battle and the energy rush in his system, he wasn't a kittypet, he was a fighter! And he would show these cats what he was made of.

And with these thoughts in mind he kicked Shadow with all his strength, throwing the she-cat off and jumped to his paws. Although it was a hard kick, which probably knocked the air out of shadow, the she cat managed to stand up and turn around before Rusty jumped at her. They both went down and clawed each other. Rusty saw his chance and bit down on Shadows forpaw how hissed in pain and began attacking his shoulder over and over again. So Rusty jumped a bit out of reach, with Shadows paw still in his jaws. He heard a his of pain as she was dragged along a small distance before she could rip her paw out.

They stared at each other for a few heartbeats. Rusty knew he was lucky. Although he was faster then Smudge and stronger then Shadow, those two together could really have been a problem.

But Smudge wasn't able to fight anymore and Shadow was loosing. He knew it and Smudge, who was still watching through pain filled eyes, knew it as well. But Shadow was too stubborn to admit the fact.

And so she jumped again.

And Rusty had learned, he used the same trick Smudge had shown him just a moment before: He jumped back a little and the she-cat had a confused look on her face as her claws landed on the hard ground instead of the dirt and blood crusted ginger fur. She looked even more confused as sharp claws tore her right ear apart and a mighty paw-strike hit the side her face. She stumbled a bit backward but couldn't escape Rusty's furious attacks, which slashed her nose open and tore deep gashes over her black cheeks.

She finally jumped back a good distance away and Rusty could catch his breath. Blood dripped from his many scratches but he had no time too acknowledge those now.

Suddenly Smudge began to speak.

"Let it be, Shadow, you lost too much blood, you will only get yourself killed!" In his voice lay despair; Rusty knew that Bloodclan had no use for old or hurt cats and those, who couldn't take care of themselves would be left to die; he needed the younger she-cat.

But Shadow wouldn't listen. "I am going to finish this pitiful kittypet now, he doesn't deserve to stay here!" Rusty's ears lay flat. This cat spoke with so much venom in her voice, and was so full of herself, Rusty couldn't stand it

For the first time in there encounter, he opened his mouth to speak

"Shut up now, will you? You lost already and you will lose again! Don't make me kill you out of your own stupidity, go ahead and treat Smudge instead of wasting your stinking breath and blood in a battle you cannot win!"

He was exhausted and wanted to end this as quickly as he could. But he hated them, he hated their whole clan and he couldn't stop himself from adding:" And call me Kittypet one more time and I make sure not even the crows would dare to taste your rotting flesh!"

Rusty crouched down, ready to jump, and hissed dangerously.

But the she-cat had set her mind and only snarled back: "You pathetic kittypet think you can threaten me? I wanna see how you do this when you are dead!"

With this she jumped. And this time Rusty jumped as well.

And they clashed. A claw ran down Rusty's flank and he answered with some strikes over the black cats shoulder. They traded blows and kicks some time until Shadows jaws closed around his tail and her paws found his belly. Pain shot through Rusty's spine and his belly felt like set ablaze. Thinking fast, he pulled his legs close to his body, gathered all his strength and kicked with as much force as his body could manage. It was a strong kick, which threw the she-cat off. Shadow landed with a thud on the hard ground, about a tail length from him. He expected her to jump on her paws and attack again, but this time she stayed on the ground.

Her body twitched and as Rusty looked over to Smudge, he froze. The tom's face was pale, his eyes wide from shock and fear. Rusty padded over to Shadow and he saw it. His kick hadn't only kicked her of, but his claws had hit her throat and ripped a large hole from her chest to the chin, with blood pouring out, washing over Rusty's paws.

Even though she was his enemy, his entire being being screamed at him to help her, but he knew: There was nothing that could be done. It was a lethal wound.

He could only watch the she-cat struggle in pain. Shadow tried to say something but all that came out was a choking, bubbling sound. He and Smudge watched as her eyes lost there terrified glance and her body stopped to twitch.

Shadow was dead.

And Rusty was a murderer.

He never killed a cat before and it felt terrible to watch the life leave the beaten body.

He hated her, her and most of her clan.

But no cat should die such a horrid way, not even them.

And what's done is, is done. No going back.

Then the clouds broke up, revealing the shining moon and the crimson liquid around them turned into fluid silver. Even Shadow's black pelt got a silvery gloss. She no longer looked like a beaten, bloody, dead cat. Rather was she lying in a tiny silver lake, enjoying the night. She seemed almost, _almost_ peaceful.

But as fragile the moment was, it broke heartbeats after it's appearance, with the vanishing of the moon. What was left was a dead cat, pools of blood and bad memories.

"Goodbye Shadow" A voice spoke softly from behind, barely audible "May you find peace, wherever you go" One could easily forget, that they just fought for their lives, hearing those tender word.

But Rusty couldn't. Smudge eyes went wide as Rusty walked slowly toward the beaten tom. He felt pity; Smudge had nowhere to go and seemed to realize, that he was at Rusty's mercy and how high his chances stood to follow Shadow's path. He could smell the black-White toms fear.

He had no idea what to do about him, but he knew he couldn't let him lay there. As much as he disliked the older tom, he couldn't murder another cat, especially one in this state.

Although he wasn't even sure if Smudge could survive long enough to escape with him, he had to try.

But before he could ask him, Smudge beat him to the task: "What are you going to do now _?_ " he asked, his voice shaking. Rusty guessed the tom's curiosity won over his fear. He thought for a moment, although he knew his answer already. He noticed the first rays of the sun to rise above the twolegnests and he felt terribly tied. _I ran half the day and the night and fought the rest of the time, I need rest_ he realized and _he too_ he added with gaze on Smudge.

He took a deep breath and decided.

"I'm going to take you with me and see if I can do anything for your wounds." His tone wasn't questioning, but rather forcing the brown tom to agree.

Smudges eyes shot up and met his, disbelief and confusion was shown

"You wont kill me?" Rusty felt hurt by this comment.

"I am not a coldhearted murderer, who kills defenseless cats from bloodlust, I hate killing. I killed someone today-" he nods towards Shadows body "-And I don't plan on doing it again. And if I let you lie here and run away alone, you would end up the same way. Either to a lack of blood or food, but nonetheless dead. So I have no choice. Can you walk?"

His ears twitched, he didn't have the time to chat long, other Bloodclan cats could find them and he was sure, he had no energy for a second fight.

Smudge seemed still confused "I don't get it, we tried to _kill_ you and now you want to _save_ me ?"

But Rusty didn't have the time to spare "Yes, but if you keep wasting my time, I might just as well change my mind. Move now, otherwise you will end like her" He pointed his nose at the broken body of shadow - Smudge wince, probably out of fear and grieve.

"I thought so, now move, we got to get out of here!" and with this he helped Smudge to his paws.

He knew the way out of the twolegplace, but Smudges heavy injuries slowed them awfully down. Smudge did help, by telling him about the routine paths Bloodclan patrols traveled along. It upset him to learn that, if he had crossed on particular thunderpath just a few moment earlier, he would have avoided Smudge and Shadow, it would have never come to a battle and Shadow would be still alive. But he knew he shouldn't think about this too much. They didn't talk other than that and Rusty was thankful to have some time to think.

And finally, after hours of sneaking and running, they reached the outer twolegplace and left the territory of Bloodclan.

But Rusty was still weak from exhaustion and hunger and he knew that Smudge couldn't go much further on with his wounds. He needed treatment.

He had to half support, half carry Smudge on their way to the abandoned twolegnests at the edge of the woods.

It was the place Rusty had lived in, since his mother was killed. He found it when he was around 3 moons old, it was right beside his mothers old twoleg nest. He wasn't allowed to go out on his own to this time, but sneaked out anyway. Twolegs build this thing a long time before Rusty was even born, but for some reason just left it seasons ago. Now the invisible walls on the nest-sides where gone, leaving giant open spaces to walk in and some parts of the wall where falling apart. Sometimes even water was lacking through sections of the roof. But it was the best place Rusty had to offer.

After he put Smudge carefully on the ground, on a soft material which had once been white, he tried to figure out how to treat Smudges wounds.

When he still lived with his siblings, their injuries and diseases were always treated by the twolegs, but one of his brothers – Lumpy (strange Twolegs with their strange names...) - never liked them and hide his injuries to treat them himself. It was much more like a real warrior to take care of himself he said. His adoration on becoming a _real_ warrior got him killed in the end; shortly after Nutmegs, their mothers death, the siblings got torn apart, with Rusty ending up on his own on the street and Lumpy running head on into the forrest. He was found about half a moon later at the edge of the woods, his body marked with several, half healed claw marks, with different length and depth. They never had the chance to heal. He died silently without anyone noticing, probably sliced up by one of the cats he tried to be, but no one knows for sure, because trees don't talk.

Rusty shook his head to clear his thoughts; he didn't have time for the past. He remembered Lumpy swearing on some leaves and cobwebs for his special, self care taking and luckily the abandoned nest was full of spiders. He spotted some on ground level and limped though the empty room, to harvested a thick layer with his right-front paw and hurried back to Smudge. His own wounds could wait, as Smudge was much worse off and there where more then enough webs in this nest. Finding and harvesting them was the easy part, actually using them to treat wounds was much harder.

They were sticky and the fur on both his and Smudges body wasn't helping the slightest. When he was finished, the last bit of strength left him.

His legs gave in right beside Smudge. He didn't even hear the sound of his body colliding with the ground, as he surrendered to the darkness.

 **And yeah, that it for now, I really hope at least _somebody_ enjoyed my Idea and I hope we will see each other again ... until then, have a nice time! **


	2. Doing What Is Right

**Chapter two: What is right**

 **Sooo, I knew we would meet again! It's good to hear your voice again.  
And not a heartbeat too soon, I finally remembered more about this ginger cat.  
Although it's not very much, I do hope you enjoy it. **

**Here are just some authors notes you might want to skip, nothing really important I guess.**

 **Well, yeah, I made it, I wrote another chapter. And I surprised myself with how quick I managed to write this one. I hope it's not too rushed... I don't really know. Ready the story myself is not like reading others stories. I don't find errors and stuff that fast. So I could need Your help to tell me, if this is too, well, rushed, what I could have made better and such... You know what I mean.**

 **This would have been done even faster if I hadn't decided to visit the gamescom... I spent like the whole day there, without actually trying out a single game. This was really frustrating. But I didn't really want to wait 4 hours for my favorite game. Whatever.**

 **The thing is, I have tonnes of ideas for this story in my head, but I have to fill the stuff between as well... I have to explain how and why good, old Rusty joins the clans before I can write stuff about him in the clan. I know, this is how most stories work … but it's sooo annoying.**

 **And there's another thing for which I could use Your help... I plan on bringing some … romantic in the story … but I can't really decide with whom. Because I _might_ get Rusty to save Spottedleaf later in the story and... well now I'm standing before the decision of Sandstorm or Spottedleaf... or maybe someone else? (Is this even a correct sentence?) Maybe different clan love? Maybe, I don't know, Mousefur? Na, that's probably not gonna happen. It's just ... I don't really know. You could state Your opinion in the comman- ahw, wait, sorry, wrong platform... write it as review. **

**And be warned, the next chapter will probably take waaay more time, because  
1\. I don't know who to begin or what I want to happen.**

 **2\. School (highschool? - Still don't know) starts wednesday... Soo maybe much less time to write.**

 **3\. Sports Clubs start again so my Wednesdays, fridays and sundays will be pretty much blocked.**

 **Why do my authors notes always become that long? Well, as long as You still want to read the story, it's fine I guess.**

 **Remember, that WarriorCats still belongs to Erin Hunter(s)**

 **And now... Enjoy!**

First came the smell, or better: the lack of smell. He didn't smell the biting scent of blood and neither the stale, old twoleg nest air. Only the fresh, soft scent from flattened grass, with some flowers he couldn't recognize.

Then, his sense of touch began to work again. The hart ground, which he fainted upon, was gone, replaced with a soft, smooth meadow. He felt the tender touch of the wind, brushing gently over his pelt.

His ears soon followed with a twitch; he could hear the happy chirping of birds, singing high in the trees, the squeaking of mice, searching for food on the ground, and the rustle of leaves in the wind.

And finally, his eyes opened. And the change hit him like a lightning strike. The old, crumbling twoleg nest was completely gone, replaced with a small, green clearing, surrounded by fern. Big trees towered over him, standing close enough to provide a cool shadow, but left room to walk around without problems. The location was overflowing with life, everything was green, and healthy and the air smelled fresh and full of pray.

His body was perfectly fine, he felt no pain, no scars covered his body, no blood sticking to his fur.

The pain of the previous days, weeks, moons was gone. He felt alive. Alive and ready to take on the world.

But this place held no danger. It was peaceful.

Rusty decided to use the time and move around a bit, enjoying the surroundings. Even though his wounds were healed, his hunger wasn't satisfied.

He detected a mouse, sitting beside the root of a huge tree, nibbling at a nut.

Without thinking, he instantly dropped in a hunters crouch, moving forward without uttering the slightest sound. He crouched until about a tail length divided him from his prey. He tensed his muscled, unsheathed his claws and was ready to jump.

But a heartbeat before he jumped, a raindrop fell on his head. The liquid seeped into his fur. _Rain?_ Another drop landed between him and the mouse, which moved its head in the direction of the sound. It saw Rusty and directly vanished between in the undergrowth.

Rusty hissed in anger. Someone really wanted to see him starve. Meanwhile had the little dibble changed to a pouring downfall.

He couldn't find another piece of prey. The whole forest seemed all of sudden empty... lifeless. No Bird was singing its soothing song, no mouse rustling through the grass, on it's search for food. Not even the tiny insects, which were usually found _everywhere_ someone goes, could be found.

His ears went flat, something was wrong.

The air reeked, once again, of blood. And that was when he noticed:

 _This isn't rain!_ Horror seized him. _This is blood!_

The crimson liquid fell endlessly from the sky, dyeing everything red. All the once green, healthy plants withered under the never ending downfall of gore.

Rusty began to run as fast as his legs could carry him, through a dying forest. But had no idea where he was going - or where he was in the first place.

Only one though drover Rusty's body: Shelter. He had to get out of this madness.

Running blindly through the forest, he soon discovered a river, blocking his path. Water wasn't flowing in the riverbed, only thick, sticky blood. It was impossible to swim through that, but he found a huge accumulation of rook, with little caves in it. It was the best could find, so he hurried directly toward a rather larger cave, crouched down and into it, pressing his back against the cold stone wall, desperately trying to hide from the crimson storm, raging outside.

But even the cave offered no protection; The air was filled with blood. He had the feeling, he was suffocating. Sticky blood covered his fur, had ran in his eyes, his ears, his mouth. It filled his lungs, blocked him from oxygen.

His head was spinning, senses leaving: Eyes already blinded by sticky, sour, crimson blood, followed with the blocking of his ears by the drying substance. Soon the feelings on his body failed him too: He didn't feel the cold stone cave anymore, neither his soaked pelt, pulling him down and the puddle of blood around him was gone as well. It was like he was falling. No feelings at all.  
Only his nose was still doing it's job. And the only scent it perceived was the one of fresh blood.

He was terrified beyond expressing. Couldn't open his mouth to scream, couldn't even whimper. Rusty was about to disappear, he could feel it. Or not feel it, as it was.

But he refused to vanish just like that, holding onto the last bit of consciousness he managed to get a grip on. Blind, numb and deaf, all he had left to indicate, that he was still _there_ was the sour smell of blood.

And then, there was another scent. It was barely noticeable at first, just a faint hint of a change in this mess.

But it grew in intensity every heartbeat, until overpowering the foul stench of blood.

Rusty couldn't quite define the new sensation; it was a bit like dry leaves and dust. But had something _rotten_ as well. It felt ancient.

"Your path had been one of suffering"

His ears where still deaf, but the sound seemed to come from everywhere, it was echoing through his head.

"For misery made you stronger, more powerful"

The voice was the one of a she-cat, old and long broken and yet strong and unyielding. Who was this cat? He had never heard her voice before.

"To prepare for what is awaiting you"

Awaiting him? His life had pretty much just begun.

"You will protect, You will lie"

Protect? What did he have to protect? He was alone.

"You will lose, You will cry"

And what was she even talking about? He had shed his last tear moons ago. And now, he felt like he had no more left.

"You will fight, You will die"

A shiver ran down his spin. _Is she predicting my future? Will I die soon?_

"You will shatter and yet survive"

 _She isn't making any sense!_

"Too much blood will be spilled. Rivers will run red, stones covered in crimson and enemies will meet for their final battle. And a time will come, when the end seems near, where you will take destiny in your own paws, to forge a brighter future. And the other great three will bow their heads before you."

Rusty had so many questions

 _Where am I? Is that my future? How do you know all this? Who are the great three? Who are you?_

and yet couldn't ask a single one, since his mouth was still blocked and his mind clouded.

But the she-cat had heard him nonetheless "Don't fear, young one, for time will solve all mysteries, but for now you must go on"

And as if her words where a trigger, his head exploded with sensations; A hard ground he laid upon, the faint rustle of leaves far away, dusty, stale air to breath.

And blood.

And Pain.

Lots of pain. His sides burned like set ablaze, his frontpaws felt ready to fall off and his back was bruised. He didn't try to hold back the yowl escaping his throat.

After a few moments of getting used to the pain, he slowly tried to open his eyes. They weren't sticky, as he thought they would be, no blood was blocking his eyes, nor his ears or mouth.

And then he was confused. He had expected to find himself in a little cave, huddled together against the wall, but instead opened his eyes in an empty, dusty twoleg nest, lying on the ground.

This didn't make any sense. He had been running through a large forest, just a moment before and fell unconscious in a cave by a blood filled river, but opened his eyes in a twoleg nest?

Just then landed his eyes on the body of another cat. And it all came back.

His "adventure" into bloodclan territory, being chased by those two cats, fighting against Smudge and Shadow, killing the later one, dragging the beaten Smudge with him, patching the black-white tom up, falling unconscious.

He had dreamed. The forest, the hunt, the blood-storm, the suffocation, the she cat.

It was all just a dream.

 _But it felt so real. Especially the she-cat. And what's about her prophecy? It was a dream, right?_

But he couldn't think about this now. Judging from the orange sunlight outside, it had to be just about sunset. He had slept through the whole day!

And Smudge had begun to turn and moan in his sleep. Rusty was grateful that he didn't wake Smudge with his cry and promised himself to look after Smudges wounds later, since he hadn't eaten in days and Smudge was probably as hungry as he was. So he left the twoleg nest, and ventured to the only place he had to hunt: The forest.

He had never liked going near this place, stories about a group of merciless cats, living together in their so called "clan" and punishing all, not clan born, intruders. Sometimes with a warning, sometimes with wounds to remember and sometimes even with death. His brother was a shining example. Some stories even picture them as cannibalistic, eating the flesh of still living kittypets.

What a cruel idea.

 _Why do all_ clans _have to be so barbaric?_ _Is asking for one nice clan, who doesn't kill trespassers on sight, too much to ask?_

But he could go nowhere else; the twolegplace was full of bloodclan, which are probably upset, since he killed one member and abducted another. And he had no desire for another fight with those bloodthirsty cats. The remaining part of the twolegplace is pitiful small and full of kittypets, who scare the already low amount of prey away.

So the forest was his choice. He never ventured deeper then the first row of trees, his mother had prevented it and when his mother was no longer with them, his brother got himself killed in there.

His desire to explore this dark and mysterious place died back then.

He jumped on the half rotten, wooden fence, which separated the old twoleg nest from the forest.

He threw one last glance back, on the old nest, with the sleeping form of Smudge. The tom was still unconscious and Rusty hoped, he would find him the same way when he returned.

 _If I return._ Told him the small voice of doubt in his head.

But he knew it had to be done.

So he turned his head back towards the woods, tensed his muscles and jumped.

The grass on this side of the fence was as soft as the one on the other side. The light was the same, as was the wind. The only thing that changed slightly, was the light smell, that hit his nose. The scent of tree bark, fern and brambles. And prey.

His paws carried him slowly towards the dark shadows of the big trees, carefully observing every movement he detected. From the light rustle of the bushes in the wind, to the faintest stir of the ferns, he noticed it all. But he found no signs of cats, no pelt between the bushes, no scent in the air and no blinking eyes in the shadows.

He was alone. For every tail length he got deeper into the woods, the scent of prey got stronger. And finally he found a plump mouse beside a large bush with bright, red berries. It hadn't spotted him yet. So the flame colored tom let himself fall silently to the ground.

He was used to hunt big, slow rats, whose ears where dulled form the noisy twolegs. But forest mice where another story. He knew they where very quick and had a excellent hearing.

And he needed food. Desperately.

So he crouched agonizing slow in the direction of his prey, which, oblivious to his presence, was still nibbling on a nut.

This scenario seemed terribly familiar. It was nearly the same as the one of his dream.

Out of reflex he looked up. But the sky was still orange, the few clouds, far in the distance, had a golden sheen.

A beautiful sunset. If he only had the time to watch.

But he still had prey to catch. Turning his eyes back to the mouse, and tasting the air for any new scents. When he found none, he released him muscles and flung himself right at the small animal.

The mouse saw him flying, but was too slow to react. Rusty had already hit it with his paws and dug his claws into its small body. It went limp after a few heartbeats and Rusty wasted no time, devouring the poor object at top speed.

He would have savored his meal, if he wasn't on hostile territory and had to fear a patrol discovering him. He also had to continue hunting, to catch something for Smudge.

Therefore buried he the remains of the mouse and tasted the air.

Beside the strong scent of mouse did he smell something he couldn't recognize. Curiosity getting the better of him, he followed the trail and soon found himself roughly a fox length afield from a red pelted animal. It had a bushy tail and was about three times longer then a mouse.

This would surely satisfy Smudge, although Rusty had no idea how to catch this... thing, he didn't have a name for it yet. He would just try it the normal way, dropping into a hunters crouch, he slowly crawled closer to the furry animal. But when he was in range to jump, the wind turned, and the prey detected him.

And, in contrast to Rusty, knew what he was.

And it made a run for it.

And it was fast.  
Rusty rushed after it instinctively, gaining on his prey. His meal from before had strengthened him and gave him the energy he needed for this hunt.

But before he could reach the animal, had it started to climb the newest tree and started to climb amazingly fast. But Rusty wouldn't let his prey outsmart him and made a jump for it.

He collided with the tree with such force, that it knocked the air out of his lungs. He fell down backwards, but his claws had still hit the preys bushy tail and because of that, dragged it down with him. The red animal desperately tried to escape but, thinking fast, was killed quickly by a bit to the neck from Rusty.

Picking the prey with his jaw up, he turned around and followed his trail back to the old nest.

His hunt was a success, he had caught a mouse and another thing, which was annoying to carry, since it was way to furry. But he had managed to open up some wounds on his flank again, when he jumped against the tree, and left a few drops pf blood eon the ground every few paw steps.

But it didn't matter to him, all in all, it was a success.

Against his expectation, was Smudge wide awake when he arrived. He was still siting in the same spot, washing his wounds now. He looked way better then last time, his eyes weren't clouded by pain and grief anymore, his pelt was clean and he didn't have this dejected expression.

When the black-white tom spotted rusty with his prey, his eyes brightened up.

"There you are! I was afraid you had left me!" Smudge obviously tired to make a hurt face, but couldn't suppress his smile.

When Rusty padded over and put the prey between Smudges pawn, the older toms jaw fell open.

"You caught a squirrel? How did you manage that? And you pass it to me?"

Rusty couldn't hide his chuckle, the tom had so much fuss over nothing.

" I have already eaten and you need some food too. Beside what's so special about a, what did you call it? Squirrel?"

Smudge gratefully rammed his sharp teeth into the soft meat.

"You aren't telling me this was the first one you ever tried to catch, are you?" The disbelieve shown in his eyes didn't suit the fresh blood around his mouth at all.

"What's the big deal? It tried to climb a tree and I was faster. That's it."

"You, my friend, are a born hunter. I can tell you, when I was still part of bloodclan, we tried to catch those nimble beasts, but never actually caught one, they were to fast for us and if we managed to corner one, it just turned around and climbed the next fall."

Rusty wanted to tell the tom, that they weren't really _friends,_ that they actually were enemies. But somehow liked the idea of having at least one friend in this cruel world and therefore remained silent.

He watched Smudge consume his meal in silence and thought about his next actions. Should they stay in this twoleg nest and continue catching prey from the forest, risking their lives? They could travel onward, searching for a better place to live. But they didn't know what would await them.

Smudges voice broke his train of thought.

"You know, I would have never thought about using cobwebs to treat injuries, but it's apparently very effective. And thank you, I wouldn't be here, if you hadn't rescued me."

But he didn't feel proud after this statement.

"Shadow would still be alive and you would still be with her, unharmed, if I hadn't come into your territory in the first place" answered he bitterly. He just couldn't stop thinking about the broken body of the young she-cat.

Smudge seemed not surprised by his reply, as f he expected Rusty to feel guilty. He merely sighted

"It was Shadows fault we attacked you, after chasing you and she was too stubborn to admit her defeat. It was her nature. Even if you had never crossed our path, someone else would have eventually and she would have died to someone else. And I know it was an accident, I saw the look in your eyes. I think you are a goodhearted cat. It's not important that you accidentally killed a cat, but that you saved another cats life, even if you really dislike them and risked your own live in the process. Because You knew it was the right thing to to. That is what really maters."

Rusty was speechless. This was one of the kindest thinks he ever heard and he would remember it for a long time.

He could just mutter a weak " Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me for anything, I just reminded you of things you knew already and had forgotten." Smudge grinned and licked the leftovers of blood from his paws and mouth.

Rusty had to grin as well. "And since when are you that wise?" The mood was pleasant again.

A black-white tail hit his ear playfully. "When you become as old as I am, you will understand"

"But you aren't that old! Old cats are supposed to have gray hair and weak bodies." And after hearing a small burp from Smudge he chuckled and added: "and have good manners"

Smudge, after hearing that, started to limp like a tree legged cat. "Oh" he started in a false, breaking voice, "believe me, I am ancient, I have seen thinks you can't even imagine. So respect you elders and let an old cat have some rest, will you?" And with that laid Smudge down and curled in a ball.

Rusty would let him have his way, he knew Smudge was roughly four moons older than him, he wouldn't call that _ancient,_ but he would let him have his rest, he was tired as well. But he would like to hear about those "thinks he can't even imagine".

But those had to wait for another day. The sun had already vanished behind the horizon and the action of his hunt had mad him sleepy.

He laid down and decided that they would have to regain their strength first, before they could determine what to do next. And with those thoughts in mind, he drifted into a hopefully peaceful sleep.

Several days have come and gone since their arrival at the abandoned twoleg nest and most things went smoothly.

Smudges wounds have healed far enough for him to start hunting with Rusty. Smudge was a bit clumsy at first, having not hunted in days and being used to the narrow alleys instead of the open woods, but he was getting the hang of it.

And Rusty was impressed. Smudge was adapting faster then he had expected and, even though being slowed down by his injuries, he was holding on well.

But not everything was as perfect as it seemed.

Rusty had smelled different cats close by, their scent always stale, as if they had been there half a day earlier, but it was always there. He feared they would meet someday. And that this "meeting" would end in a blood bath. Smudge had noticed it too, but Rusty had not told him about his fears.

Smudge seemed to be bothered enough anyway. He was getting unfocused while hunting and when they trained, he sometimes just spaced out, just standing there taking a blow.

And it disturbed Rusty, that the tom wouldn't tell him what it is. He would always avoid his questions, or tell him it was nothing, as if he was ashamed of something.

Then one day, after a fruitful hunt, which resulted in two sparrows, one small mouse and a ripped out claw of Smudge, they settled down outside the nest, on the soft lawn to eat and enjoy the sunset.

And while they ate, Rusty confronted Smudge with his thought.

"Smudge, something is bothering you, I feel it, I see it, so please tell me what it _is._ "

The tom looked unhappy with the beginning of this conversation.

"Nothing. I'm alright. Really." It was a poor excuse, and they both knew it.

"No, You're not alright, you get distracted when we train, don't really pay attention when we hunt, sometimes you even space out while we speak! You mumble in your sleep and look more unhappy each day. Please, I'm begging you, tell me what's wrong!"

"You are not going to let this go, are you?" It wasn't a serious question, both knew the answer already.

He sighted. "Fine then, but you won't like what I'm going to tell you now. I don't want to fight anymore, Rusty. I'm tied of having to treat my injuries, or getting injuries in the first place! I don't want to fear for my life every time I stand up on the morning. All my life, I never did anything else beside fighting, hunting and fearing for myself. I...I want t-" He hesitated.

Rusty wasn't really surprised, he had expected something like this.

"It's alright, go one, I don't judge you for your decisions." He smiled sincerely.

"Okey, well, I-I'm planing on becoming a k...kittypet." Smudges face was one of pure shame.

Most loners, or clan cats, saw the life of a kittypet as the most dishonorable life, one could choose to live. They didn't have to fight, to hunt, to care.

But Rusty didn't think like that. He had been a kittypet himself and he remembered the comfort of having someone care for him, enjoy being with him, instead of running around all day alone.

He could understand Smudge, but wouldn't trade his life for the one of a kittypet. He enjoyed too much the feeling of wind, brushing over his pelt when he ran, the thrill of a good hunt, the taste of fresh prey or the freedom to go wherever he wants, when he wants.

"It's okey, I understand. And I don't think of you as coward. It's only right to go for the life, you want to live. But I can't follow you. When you go, you will have to go alone."

The troubled look on Smudges face vanished and was replaced by one of relief.

"Thank you, for your understanding. And yeah, I knew our paths would separate. You're destined to be much more then just a kittypet. But before I leave, let us enjoy this last sunset together."

And Rusty could only nod. They sat on the lawn, side by side, watching a bright sun turn the blue sky into into pure gold. A light wind whispered around them, ruffling their pelts. And once again, the birds sung their beautiful song. And they both sat quietly, side by side, enjoying the warmth of the sun on their bodies.

And as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the endless landscape, the two toms stood up.

"It has been an honor, spending my last few days as a free cat with you, Rusty." Said Smudge without averting his gaze from the dimming horizon. "I will forever remember these day."

"And I, too, will not forget about you Smudge, may your ancestors guide your path." It wasn't easy to take farewell from yet another cat, who made his way close to his heart.

"My ancestors huh?" He mumbled and a small smile crossed his face. "I try to imagine what they would think right now" His smile grew wider. "Look at that wimp, loosing all his family, being then trained to become a heartless killing machine, loosing to a nameless loner younger then him and ultimately humiliating himself by becoming a kittypet. And is now on the verge of tears over leaving a friend he had only meet about two weeks before. Yeah, they really must be proud of me."

And the black-white tom began to purr of laughing. "I don't care what they think, I do what I feel is right. Just as You do."

Rusty pressed his flank one last time against his friend. "Take care, Smudge"

And Smudge seemed to absorbed the moment for a heartbeat long, before he started to walk away. But not without stopping after the first three steps. He turned his head one last time. And gave a glance at the silverpelt above them.

"I have no gods to pray to. But still, I pray, that your journey will be safe."

And then he left. The tom jumped onto the brick wall to his right and vanished on the other side.

Maybe they will meet again, some time in the future. Who knows.

But Rusty was sure, that this was a final goodbye. And he was alone once again.

He still didn't know how to go on, and therefor just lay down on the exact same spot from before, watched the silver stars make there way though the sky and enjoyed the peaceful night.

 **Soo, jup that's it, he still didn't join the Clans and I made a very poor excuse, of how to get rid of someone. Well, could have been worse, right? ….Right? …  
Ahw damn it. **

**And I noticed my cats don't really behave cat like. They rarely hiss, or purr or use their tails or ears or whiskers... I'm just not used to this.  
**

 **Well, I hope it was still okey, see ya – hopefully – next time!**


	3. Threads of Fate

**Chapter three: Threads of Fate**

 **Hello again, old friend!  
Good to see you again. How have you been? Ready to hear another part about the loner Rusty? Well here you go! Do you want some cookies and milk or tea for the story? Yeah? Well then we are two unlucky souls, because I don't have anything here right now.  
Maybe nest time... Keh keh keh  
**

 **Sooo yeah the usual: Skip Authors notes if you want to and enjoy the story!**

 **Still there? Good.  
Now I can explain whats going on with me right now.**

 **My head is empty. Last years of highschool are a bigger bitch then I would have imagined. I should worry about what to do after highschool, not how my writhing skills develop. Oh well never mind, I will have time for the unimportant stuff later...**

 **The holidays ended like a few week ago and the next exam is already in two damn weeks. And you know the worst part? It's in english! That means I have to work my ass off at home to beat some knowledge into my brain and don't feel like writhing anymore when I fell like I'm done for today. That's why I'm writing so freaking slow right now. Sorry.**

 **Another thing is, we have to prepare for some special kind of exam where we write stuff about a certain topic at home and it's supposed to be 14 pages long... Men, too much work for my poor brain.**

 **Those are reasons I'm updating so slow and this will continue for a while because those bothersome exams are getting closer and closer and I've sooo much to learn for them.**

 **And my english seams to become worse from chapter to chapter, I have no idea why. Shouldn't I get better at it, not worse?**

 **I could tell you about personal problems, which lead to me being even more unproductive, but I don't think anyone likes to read about my personal life and issues. So just belief me when I say that my personal life blocks my ability to write. And that sucks.**

 **I could tell you a thousand things I don't like about last chapter, while I hardly see anything positive. I could have done sooo much better, if it wasn't for my lack of knowledge of the english language (see? Even this double "of" there annoys the shit out of me, but I can't think of anything else...)**

 **And I figured, I should tell you about something that I changed from the original story: The story takes place the same time as the original, but Rusty and siblings are born a few months earlier, therefore is he a bit older then Graypaw/-strip, Ravenpaw/(-?), Sandpaw/-storm and Dustpaw/-pelt. I might explain the reason later in the story. But probably not in this or the next few chapter(s)  
**

 **And to those who review: Thanks a lot :)**

 **I'll try to answer questions here in those authors notes ( To make sure you all read them :D ) And when I don't think that it would be wise to answer here because spoilers and stuff (or take to long with the next chapter...) then I will hopefully remember this messaging system ...**

 **Than again the usual: Warrior Cats doesn't belong to me, but to Erin Hunter(s)**

 **Fanfictions Document editor messed up the text. Some parts were really mixed up, I hope i got every error out, but I can't be sure, If you finde something please tell me. Just wanted to inform you.  
**

 **Soo yeah stay awesome and see ya later**

 **Enjoy!**

 _An orange sun cast long shadows of huge trees across a small clearing._

 _Only one she-cat sat lonely at the base of a tall boulder, ice-blue eyes directed at the dimming sky, seeing things, no one else sees could see._

 _The gorse at the entrance rustled and the gray furred head snapped in the direction of the sound._

 _From the tunnel appeared the golden head of a large tom, who, upon spotting the she-cat, started walking straight towards her. Two other cats came out of the tunnel behind him, but went straight for a larger bramble bush, vanishing inside._

 _Upon arrival, the golden tom dipped his head in a respectful greeting._

" _Any news,?"_

" _Yes, Bluestar, we found new evidence of the stranger, hunting on our territory, our prey. There was also a small trail of blood, leading out of the forest, towards the twoleg place."_

" _So It's a kittypet?" A small purr rose from the she-cat and her whiskers twitched in amusement."He probably ripped out a claw, trying to hunt something. Should teach him a lesson to leave forest prey alone."_

 _With an amused spark in her eyes, she added: "I don't believe a kittypet could be a threat to our clan"_

 _But the golden warrior appeared less confident. He carefully objected. "The Intruder seemed to be a fairly good hunter, the signs indicated, that he caught a mouse and a squirrel. The squirrel had already started climbing a tree. I haven't heard of any kittypets, to hunt as successful as a fully trained warrior."_

 _And Bluestars ears pricked up. This information definitely aroused the she-cats interest._

 _There was something in her eyes, that couldn't be identified._

" _Very well, then I want you to keep an eye on this kittypet. Tell me anything you can find out"_

 _After a small pause she added:_

" _And one other thing: We can't tolerate other cats hunting our prey, but I want you too avoid unnecessary conflicts. We don't have enough warriors, to risk spilling their blood in battles we don't have to fight. That means, if you find him face-to-face, convince him to leave. And if he doesn't listen, then come back to me."_

 _Sharp claws flashed in the faint light of the setting sun._

" _I will settle this issue by myself."_

Rusty yawned.

It had only been two days since Smudges departure and Rusty was still unsure of what to do. He hunted every day, sun bathed, when he had satisfied his hunger and trained when the sun had past its highest point. He sometimes saw kittypets from the neighborhood, but they avoided loners as much as they avoided clan cats. They were scared of him since the first day, when he arrived, bloodied and damaged, with Smudge, looking half dead, by his side. He didn't blame them, he had to look terrifying; His body marked with horrible scars, strong muscles and sharp claws, ready to tear fur and flesh apart and a piercing gaze, always watching every movement for any kind of danger.

But he got lonely sometimes. It was nice to have Smudge around to talk to, to hunt and train with and to watch the setting sun. He could still do most of it, expect the talking part, but it was much more quiet and it had been soothing to have another pair of eyes to always watch his back.

But he could make it alone. At least, that's what he was telling himself.

 _Might as well get up and be productive today._ Another yawn escaped his mouth. The sun hadn't even risen yet, but the sky was becoming brighter every heartbeat. He had no problem with getting up early, he was used to it by now, since he had to hunt and care for himself for a long time.

Hunting would be easy at this time of the day, prey is as sleepy and slow reacting as most cats in the morning, but Rusty wasn't hungry jet and decided to wash his fur first and maybe take a walk later.

His legs were still a little stiff from sleep, but he had beaten bigger challenges and forced one paw in front of another and slowly the stiffness faded.

Rusty climbed the wall over which Smudge vanished and began following the endless line of fences, acting as a barrier, separating the twoleg nests from the forest. His paws carried him on their own, he wasn't sure where he was going, he just wandered along the twolegplace, bathing in old, bittersweet memories.

His old home was right before him, the white twoleg nest, with a luscious, green lawn and sweet smelling, but awful tasting plants, which bloomed beautifully when newleaf came.

He remembered playing with his siblings under them, daring each other to taste their yukky leaves and laughing at the grimaces of disgust which always followed.

They raced from the nest to the fence and sat side by side on it, staring into the unknown shadows of the forest, imagining adventures, that might await them out there on day.

Sadly, it never came that way. They were born together, they ate together, slept together, laughed together and finally cried together.

But they didn't carry on together.

Slowly, one by one, they separated. Some ran off without a word, like Lumpy had, while others went to live with twolegs again. But Rusty couldn't return. Memories of his mother haunted him and he decided to get away as far as possible, but soon had to realize, that he had nowhere to go.

So he stayed at the twolegplace and somehow learned to live on, on his own.

He must have been sitting on the fence for a long time, because the sun had rise above the treetops. Thick, black clouds had formed and it would only take little time for the sun to vanish again. He sniffed the air. It was about to rain.

 _If I leave now, I might make it back in time to not get my pelt soaked._

Rusty was about to turn around and leave for the hunt, when he noticed something. In front of the first opening, which was again blocked by one invisible wall, sat a light brown tabby cat, with white paws and chest. It was a she cat.

And she was watching him.

She didn't seem as scared as Rusty expected her to be. The look on her face was more like interest and maybe surprise.

Something was way to familiar about this stranger, but he couldn't put his paw on the feeling.

It was like faint memories, knocking at his consciousness to get discovered again. And this feeling was greatly troubling him. Was this someone he had once known and forgotten about?

He _needed_ to know who she was.

But before he could move down from his spot, came a loud, cracking noise and then a young twoleg burst around the corner and came running straight towards him. It appeared to be screaming something, but Rusty never understood these upright walking, strange beings. It might be angry for intruding its territory, or just trying to catch and pet him like a kittypet. Rusty liked neither of those options, the sight was terrifying enough on its own, so he turned right on the spot and ran.

Twolegs had a bad reputation. There were rumors, that twolegs would steal or hurt every unwelcome intruder. One would be safe, as long as he or she was a kittypet, but an outsider had no place on their territory.

He reached the trees and undergrowth of the forest and hid his flame colored pelt under a thick hawthorn bush.

He knew that this was enemies territory, but he definitely felt safer there, then he did exposed on this fence.

He keep his senses on the white nest, to check if the twoleg was following him.

But after several heartbeats without any further movement from the direction and a loud rumble of his stomach, which must have been loud enough for even the twoleg to hear it, decided Rusty to finally begin his hunt.

He shock his head to clear it from the idea of going back and finding something out about the she-cat. He could visit her anytime, her twolegs were right beside his abandoned nest and it was not like he was going to go anywhere, anytime soon, anyway.

So he focused fully on hunting. He had gotten better at it. He had been a bit skeptical at first, since he had always hunted the slow and pretty much deaf rats of the dense twolegplace. Therefore had he feared that his hunting ability's weren't advanced enough to catch fast prey, which was always looking out for danger.

But he had soon found out, that the forest prey was not only fairly easy for him to catch, but there was a sheer endless amount of it too and it tasted better then dirty rats. Much better. Spotting the little creatures in the green-brown forest could be difficult at times, but he got the hang of it with time.

When he poked his head out under the bush, a raindrop splashed on the ground right next to him.

" _Today could be a little more difficult,"_ He thought, while sniffing the air. _"With the rain washing away most of the scent. And keeping most prey hidden, better hurry up and catch my meal."_

The one drop was not a loner and was soon followed by many more.

This would be fun.

The day had been a rough one.

First his strange encounter with the cat and the twoleg in his old mothers home, then a frustrating hunt, in which the sun had reached its highest point and past it without him having any luck and him returning finally, when the sun was about to set again, with two small, wet mice in his jaw.

And now he was out again, not to catch more prey, but to move his legs a bit and clear his mind, before settling down to sleep.

It was a beautiful night; the moon had risen half the way to moonhigh and was sending a silvery light on the many small water drops, which had remained on the grass and leaves, giving them an unearthly gleam.

Just a gentle breeze was playing with the leaves, which let the shadows on the silvery ground move like brought to life.

Some fireflies illuminated weakly a small clearing, which was apart from the little insects, dipped in deep shadows. Rusty sat down in the middle of the scene, watched the fireflies drift carelessly through the air, listened to the wind rustling high in the trees.

At times like these, could Rusty forget his worries and memories and just enjoy the moment.

He took a deep breath. He had forgotten the beauty of peaceful nights and could just relax.

Until a hectic rustle of leaves to his right side, followed by a mouse which ran straight to the other side, not even noticing Rusty's presence.

This wasn't normal. Mice are supposed to fear cats, not ignore them.

 _Something must have startled the mouse._ His mind was telling him. _Something is out there._

How could he be that dense, this was still enemy territory! He thought he had been careful enough when he went out to hunt, always staying near the twolegplace, even now could he see the strange, smooth walls of those nest through the trees. That meant, he could run, if things became to serious.

But it didn't even mean he was in danger, it could have very well been a Rabbit, that scared the mouse.

But this was unlikely and he knew it.

He pointed his ears at the direction the mouse came from and fixed his eyes on the, from moonlight silver spotted, bushes.

Did he just saw gray fur between the green leaves? Or was is just his imagination, playing tricks on him?

He couldn't just go and take a look, he could run right into an ambush after all.

Rusty got his answer right away, in the form of two amber eyes appearing from the shadows.

The wind blew towards the newcomer, which meant that Rusty couldn't identify the scent. But he didn't need to, he knew cat eyes when he saw them.

And they weren't giving him a friendly look.

Strangely out of the darkness didn't jump a fearsome, battle scarred killing machine, but a rather small tom, a little bit smaller then Rusty, probably younger as well, it wasn't easy to tell. His soft pelt showed not a single claw mark and his eyes sparkled of excitement. _This is supposed to be this ones first battle._ He realized.

And what surprised Rusty even more was the fact, that the gray tom was alone. He couldn't detect more cats behind the tom, or anywhere for that matter.

But before he could check if he was right, or even try to talk to the gray cat, the stranger attacked.

Rusty had no problem with dodging the jump, it was a clumsy attempt of an attack and he simply sidestepped it and answered with a hit with his paw right under the toms ear.

He had his claws still sheathed, since he had no intention in hurting this tom, plus if this tom came from the clan, which was living in this forest, then he could get in big trouble if he seriously injured on of their kind.

He would just have to get the gray cat to see, that Rusty was superior.

So turning his attention back on his opponent, who had regained his focus after his blow, he jumped himself. The gray tom tried to react, but was way to slow and got flung to the other side of the clearing when Rusty crashed into his side.

This cat was no match for him, Rusty was larger, stronger, faster and had experience with fighting.

This wasn't more then training for him.

The other cat had gotten back up and was facing him again. Even though the gray one was hissing, his eyes showed his emotions; confusion, fear, anger and above all frustration.

And it was probably the frustration, which got him to attack again.

A head on jump, claws stretched out in front of his face, angry hissing and a strong will to win this fight.

But it was once again pointless, Rusty used his recently learned trick; he jumped backwards a little and hit his opponents head with his paws, when he landed between them.

When the gray tom didn't respond immediately, Rusty hesitated for a moment.

 _Is he finally giving up?_ He couldn't just attack an opponent who surrendered.

But that was when the cat suddenly jumped up and knocked Rusty back. He didn't fall down but still lost ground and starred at the gray one.

" _He tricked me! I swear, this one sure has some nerves."_

Nevertheless he couldn't suppress the little smile, which spread across his face.

He didn't expect this gray tom to manage to pull something like this off.

So now, they were standing face to face again. And Rusty noticed the gleam in his opponents eyes. The success of his surprise attack had boosted the cats confidence and Rusty didn't need to wait long for the next jump in his direction.

But he had enough training for today. Moving out of the flying, gray fur balls path, he turned and kicked the attacker when he flew past him.

And Rusty didn't waste his chance this time; he chased after the knocked away body and, upon reaching him, hit the gray shoulder once, so the tom rolled over onto his back and Rusty placed his paw onto his throat.

Claws unsheathed, Rusty bend down to growl into the defeated cats ear.

"Make sure you can win the fight, before you jumping right into it. Fighting without thinking can easily end up as deadly mistake."

In order to strengthen his words, he pressed his claws stronger against the beaten toms throat.

A faint scent of fear came form the cat, but its gaze remained steady and his voice, even if a bit high pitched, steady.

"It's my job to defend my clans territory from intruder like you. We can't tolerate others hunting our prey!"

And he was impressed and bewildered. Letting go of the cats throat, he asked: "You would defend your clan, even if it takes your life?" That's so much more then Bloodclan would do.

The clan cat showed no interest in continuing the fight and just sat up, eyes and ears fully focused on Rusty. His aggressive and hostile attitude had been replaced with a careful and interested one.

He seemed rather … friendly. Noting that Rusty would have expected from a forest cat.

"Thats what clan life is all about, protecting each other. By the way, my name is Graypaw. I've got to admit, You fight really good for a kittypet!"

Even through his eyes showed admiration, Rusty couldn't help but feel offended by the

"Hey! Watch your mouth! I'm not a kittypet!" It wasn't his intention, but nonetheless did his claws extend and dig themselves in the dirt below. And Graypaw noticed, which resulted in him backing off a little bit.

He sighted and licked his chest fur. "Sorry, bad memories. No, I don't live as a kittypet."

His word had calmed the gray tom, who continued their conversation.

"If you don't live the life of a kittypet, how comes that you came here from the twolegplace?"

But he couldn't right away, because his nose had picked up a new scent and his fur instantly went on edge. He began to turn his head around to find the source of the new cat scent.

It smelled a bit like the one of the gray cat before him. Was it an ambush all along?

But Graystrip seemed just confused about Rustys sudden change of attitude.

And when he turned around he saw them.

He saw, jet again, a pair of eyes, starring through the bushes, only now where they not a deep amber, but an icy, cold blue.

And this time was the newcomer not alone, he could clearly smell another scent.

Running away wasn't an option right now, the new cats had sneaked around the clearing and blocked his escape route back to twolegplace.

And when his assumption was indeed correct and Graystrip really belonged to the newcomers, then would he have to fight one versus three. Although he new he could easily take on Graystrip, he was almost certain, that he would loose this battle.

So he did the only thing he could do.

"Show yourselves, I know you are there."

And his wish was granted, as the leaves rustled and a large, gray she-cat was revealed. She looked impressive; Her shoulders where broad and strong, the hair around her muzzle white, the dim moonlight let her gray pelt gleam silver. And the way she was walking gave an impression of power, might. And her eyes where blue fires.

Right beside her appeared a golden striped tom with graceful steps. And he was the one to speak first, but his eyes where not directed on Rusty, but rather the gray cat behind him.

"Graypaw what are you doing here? You should know better then to go near the twolegplace!"

His growl sounded not as angry as it seamed to be, but Rusty could still hear a small apology from the small tom. Looking back, Rusty saw that Graypaw had crouched down in a submissive way; body pressed on the ground, gaze averted to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

Those new cats must be familiar to Graypaw, since they know his name, and are obviously higher ranked then him.

" _I should be careful with my words and try not to get into any more trouble."_

Therefore remained he silent and awaited their next move.

Rusty didn't have to wait long.

"And who is this cat here, you were talking to just a moment ago? Did you already forget that you have to defend our territory?"

The gray she-cats words sounded harsh, but her eyes told otherwise. They were focused fully on Rusty and, even though her voice sounded so angry, show a strange interest.

But Graypaw behind him didn't seam to notice. His excuse was premeated with stutters.

"I... I tri...tried, B-Blu-Bluestar, I... I r-really did, b-but he def-defeated me with e-ease. I ...I feared he would k-kill me!"

Rusty was sorry for the tom, he could smell Graypaws fear-scent. But the she-cat Bluestar continued.

"You feared he would kill you? Then explain to me how you got out without a single scratch."

The accused looked utterly lost. He couldn't even spit out a single word.

So Rusty took action.

"He isn't lying, he really fought me. And he did a fairly good job considering his age, he was just unlucky that I've got more experience with it. And he isn't hurt because I kept my claws sheathed, I didn't want to hurt him more then I had to."

Rusty wasn't lying and he hoped that the two cats would belief him.

And this certainly got the three cats attention.

The golden tom spoke up. "Since when come intruders into other cats territory with the intention to not hurt them? What's your reason behind this?"

"Well" Rusty began, "I've come to the forest as a last resort to stay alive, without loosing what little honor I have left. I'm a normal living being and therefore need food and the forest is the only option I had left to get something.

But trying to survive doesn't mean I have to kill others if avoidable. To much blood is being spilled for nothing, I don't have to make the situation for others worse then it already is. "

He took a look at the cats around him, his speech sure had an impact. Especially on the two older cats.

"And that's why I didn't want to hurt Graypaw."

Bluestar seamed to be thinking about something and was the first to reply to his explanation.

"But you must have thought about the consequences, which follows those action. Even If you don't hurt our cats directly, you will hurt our clan by taking our pray and weakening us as a whole.

How are we supposed to fight the other clans If our warriors are weak from hunger?"

And Rusty could really understand her reasoning. But there was something that bothered him.

"Did you say `Clans´?" Rusty was confused. "As in `more then one clan´?"

So far had Rusty only heard about one clan living in the forest and bloodclan living in the city. But he had never thought about the possibility of more then those two clans. And those other clans where fighting with the one those cats were from.

"Yes, you heard right, there are actually four clans in this forest and we are always at war with each other, fighting over pray, territory and sometimes just over some misplaced words." Bluestars gaze had lost all its furry and had something like frustration.

" _Where things not going well in her clan?"_

"And you care for each other in your clan and put their lives before yours." It wasn't a question, but more like a statement.

"I understand that living on your own out there is hard and that you need every last bit of pray, but you are fighting over pray with others, when you could share it with them instead of spilling blood. Why?"

Rusty couldn't help it, he wanted to know more about their way of living. It was fascinating.

And it seamed that Bluestar and the golden tom had noticed that as well, because they exchanged a long, meaningful glance. Bluestar nodded very slightly, almost too slight to notice.

Then took the golden cat a step forward.

"It's not that easy. All clans have different lifestyles and opinions about everything. And the clans have grown apart. What once might have been companionship turned to greed, envy and sometimes even hate. Communicating with other clans isn't always easy, especially with such hostile relations. It would of course be much easier to live happily together and share everything. But we would not only loose what makes all the clans unique, but we would eventually fall apart again. And then there is the part about pride. Every clan is proud about their ability to survive on their own, their way. You can't just take this away from them. Do you understand this?"

The toms gaze was friendly and encouragingly.

This was a lot to process. All those information had to fit somewhere in his head. But he somehow managed.

"Yeah, it does make sense. But you have talked so much about the different clans and you struggle, that I have to ask. How big are your clans anyway? There are rumors around the twolegplace, but no proper numbers."

Bluestar opened her mouth to answer but hesitated for a moment. Like she was deciding about how much she was ready to reveal to an outsider.

"First you should know that the for clans are called Riverclan, Windclan, Shadowclan and Thunderclan. The last one is the clan we are from and the territory you are standing on belongs to us. The clans are called like they are for reasons. For example are the windclancats most of the times the fastest and the riverclancats hunt in the river, which divides our territorys."

Rusty couldn't help it, he let out a small laugh. Swimming cats? He had never heard of something so absurd. And Bluestar seamed amused herself, but continued on nonetheless, after another small glanze to the golden cat and from his part.

"And you wanted to know the number of our clan, right? Well maybe you should find out for yourself."

Rusty understood the message, Bluestar offered him a place in her clan. A place to live with others together, in a group, like a family. He had to think for a moment. But what could he lose? He had nothing.

"If I decided to accept your offer, how would things go on, what would happen to me?"

The golden tom spoke again.

"You would go back to our camp with us and learn what it means to be a warrior. You would be trained as much as we can teach you and you would get protection in case of injuries, weakness and sickness and in return, you would have to devote yourself fully to the clan, hunt for everyone, fight for everyone, live for everyone."

And Bluestar added: "You should know that clanlife isn't always easy, as you can badly wounded or even killed. Every leafbare brings dangers like greencough or hunger. But you would live the life of an honorable warrior and spend your time with and for your clanmates, you would have a family with us."

Rusty knew what his answer would be. He didn't want to stay alone in this forgotten twolegden and having a family to take care of sounded fantastic. He would hunt and train with Graypaw which gave him something more to look forward to. But he had one last question.

"Let me ask one question before I give you my answer. Why would you accept a stranger into your clan? Will it not upset your clanmates? And why would you do it anyways?"

Bluestar got where he was coming from.

"You are right, you should have the right to know why we accept you this easily. You see, one reson why I want you in my clan is, that we are short on warriors. Many bloody battles and a harsh winter without many newborn kittens left us with a few warriors and even less apprentices. So we need more strong cats. And we know that you can fight and hunt, you have proven this yourself. So what is your answer?"

Rusty nodded. He understood.

"Yes. I would like to follow the way of a warrior and serve my clan the best I can."

Just than did he notice that Graypaw stood right beside him, with a large smile on his face.

"Very well. We will return to our camp immediately. You will be introduced to clanlife as soon as we enter the camp, Lionheart her-" She pointed with her tailtip to the golden warrior "-Will show you your new home and explain details on the way there. From no on are you a member of Thunderclan. Server your clan well, young cat. You will get your clanname when we arrive, if this is ok with you?."

Rusty just nodded. _"A new name?"_ But he didn't question it. Bluestar turned around to leave but he stopped her.

"There is another question I would like to ask you."

Bluestar turned her head slightly, she hadn't expected this. With a small nod gave she permission.

Rusty swallowed. He needed to know this.

"Have you heard from a white-black tom, around 5 months old near the twolegplace last leafbare? Did by chance any of your warriors see him around that time?"

He had no idea how he sounded but he hoped not to emotional.

Bluestars reply was equally easing and sobering.

"No, not that I remember. You have been the only cat I know about to have come that deep into the forest while I was in charge, sorry"

Rusty didn't blame her.

"It's okey, just forget it."

And with this turned Bluestar around and left the clearing Graypaw and Lionheart followed right behind her. Rusty remained a few heartbeats longer.

He had a new life he could look forward to and yet felt a small pang of sorrow.

Lumpy, Princess and his other siblings should be with him now, as well as Smudge. He would fit in very good, Rusty was sure of it.

But Lumpy was dead, Smudge gone and the rest of his siblings lost without a trace.

He had to do this alone.

This was the path he had to follow, becoming an apprentice and later a warrior, serving his clan.

This was his goal now.

He wouldn't let his clan down, he wouldn't let Bluestar down and he wouldn't let Lumpy down, whos dream of becoming a warrior lives on in Rusty, he would do it for him. And for himself.

And with those words in mind did he follow his new clanmates into an unknown future ahead.

 **I hate this. This whole chapter sounds so freaking strange and chopped down.**

 **I suck with dialogues and prophecies. Sorry.**

 **And yeah, I know, Graypaw attitude changes extremely fast. But I tried so much and failed so hard, so I just left it this way. This sentence sums up the whole chapter. I don't like it. But well, maybe you did at least enjoy it a little.**

 **I can only hope u did.**

 **Then maybe until next time,**

 **Farewell.**


	4. A New Family

**_Chapter four: A New Family_ **

* * *

**_I'm sooo sorry that I have to update the chapter after I published it - I kinda promised myself that I wouldn't do this - but I somehow managed to upload the wrong file, the unfinished one and ... yeah that's it. It's not a massive change, but I really wanted it in this chapter and yeah fucked up. Sorry.  
_**

* * *

 **So, You found your way back to me?  
And not a heartbeat to soon. Come on, sit down, get yourself something to drink – yes, get yourself something, its not like I'm your waitress or something. _I swear, young people these days._  
Ah, no no, I didn't say anything. So where did I stop last time...**

 **Well. Hi, nice to have You around again. You may still skip the Authors notes if you want to.**  
 **If you do then enjoy the story!**

 **And for the people who have nothing to do I guess... seriously, why would you read something about my personal life?  
Oh well, might as well get it done.**

 **Sooo, yeah, Gaw, I failed so hart with my english exams. Well, I haven't gotten (?) the results jet, but I just know how terrible I performed.  
We were supposed to write a command on something (I know, it really is just basic stuff) and I don't know how, but I somehow managed to totally fucked it up.**

 **And not only English, but history as well. Even through I didn't fail that just as hard as English. But it was still pretty bad.**

 **Then my cat nearly died.  
I - and the doctors - have still no clue what was wrong with him. He just suddenly got really sick and could hardly and it was really bad.  
And now he is fine again. He had apparently some liquid in his lungs of unknown origin - no, it was not water he accidentally swallowed - and yeah, they extracted it and now its in the laboratory and they try to find out where it came and what it is in the first place. **

**And I somehow managed to do sport like 4 times a week. I didn't plan it, it just happened. I will probably cancel most of it, but for now, my time limit is even either my time to learn or my time to write had to make room for it.  
In the end, both did, because I couldn't get it over me to cut down my time gaming and since I can't eat less then I already do, It had to be the writing.  
Setting priorities is not my strength I guess.  
**

 **Sooo yeah. My cheap excuse why this chapter is so freaking short. I'm sorry, the next one will (probably) be a long(er) one again!**

 **And I wanted to thank the people who actually review. Thanks guys!**

 **If more questions come up then I might answer them here, on this spot, but not in this chapter, cause I'm really busy and yeah, sorry and thanks again!**

 **And now, to not get you stuck here forever:** **Warrior Cats doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the Erin Hunter(s)**

 **Enjoy!**

Of course had something to happen.

Because trouble once a day was obviously not enough.

It had all gone so well. He had kept up easily with his escort, even race a bit with Graypaw, learned much about the clans and their way of life. Like the structure of the Thunderclan camp, or the duties each member has to fulfill. He also learned that the gray she-cat called Bluestar was the leader of Thunderclan and her word was law. He wasn't surprised, he guessed that from the beginning.

They had arrived at a sandy ravine with tick undergrowth around, perfectly hiding the camp inside, just before the sun would rise and had spoken quickly with Bluestar while the clan had gathered. She had given her final approve and they had jumped onto a rather large boulder called the Highrock.

"Thunderclan _needs_ more warriors"

Bluestars voice had echoed majestic over the clearing, silencing the crowed of cats that had gathered.

"Never before had been so little apprentices in training, therefore did the eldest warriors and I decide to accept an outsider into the clan."

She had paused for a few heartbeats, to give the clan some time to understand the full meaning of her words. The clan hadn't taken her announcement as good as Rusty had hoped them to; many cats had began to mumble in dismay, but Bluestar had silenced them with a single growl.

"We found a tom, who is willing to join Thunderclan and begin his training apprentice"

And there was he now.

Surrounded by a large crowd of cats, all looking up to them, eyes showing confusion and flashing with distrust.

And then a single voice drowned the new wave of mumblers

"More like `Who is _lucky_ to join Thunderclan and be _allowed_ to train as apprentice"

A tom stood in the middle of the crowd, head held high, eyes challenging.

"You picked him up from the twolegplace, didn't you?" The pale, brown tabby wiped his tail from side to side in furry.

"You brought a pathetic kittypet back to the clan?"

Rustys hair stood on edge, this tom dared to call him a kittypet? He wanted to teach him the exact difference between a kittypet and him. But he knew he should keep calm.

"You said it yourself: `We need more warriors´ and yet you bring us another mouth to feed through the leafbare."

Some cats began to mumble in agreement.

Lionheart bend down to whisper into Rustys ear.

"This is Longtail."

He pointed with his ears to the troublemaker.

"He doesn't like the idea of newcomers from outside. If you don't prove him wrong, then he won't stop his assault."

He didn't need to be told the offenders location, had located the tom already, but kept silent.

Rusty would normally prepare by forging a battle plan, but he didn't need one this time.

His only strategy was to surprise and quickly overpower Longtail.

He focused Longtail, who was opening his mouth for a new wave of insults and with a mighty jump, separated himself from the Highrock.

The cats beneath him gasped in shock and jumped away.

Attacking from higher grounds was a new experience for Rusty, but he was quite pleased with the effectiveness of his action.

He had hit Longtails flank with enough power to trow him a good foxlength away.

Rusty wouldn't hold back this time. The tabby seamed older then Graypaw and was definitely bigger and stronger then the gray apprentice. Plus he had to prove his worth to the clan and Longtail had insulted him.

The rest of the clan had gathered around them, with enough distance to keep out of the battle.

Longtail had gotten up again and was facing him fully, but Rusty wouldn't let him make the first move; He jumped again, with a swipe of the fronpaw this time, which missed Longtail by less then a whisker length, because the tom had ducked just in time.

The tabby answered with a low blow with his paws while he was still crouching.

Rusty just made a quick, small step back and drew his claws immediately over Longtails face.

His attack got Longtail to shrink back, which opened room for Rusty to bit down on the toms frontpaw and struck the left side of Longtails head.

The tabby pulled his paw back and retreated a tail length backwards.

Two scratches over his eyes where bleeding and he leaned slightly to the side, presumably to spare his injured paw and Rusty hadn't been hit a single time.

But the fight wasn't over.

Longtail was going for an attack himself, but his eyes betrayed him; he was focusing on Rusty shoulder and would attack there.

So Rusty prepared himself. He would just move to his right and hit Longtails flank.

But the jump left Rusty confused. Longtail hadn't jumped to attack his shoulder, but instead jumped onto his back.

He had tricked him!

And was maltreating his back with sharp claws.

"I will shred you to pieces, Kittypet!" The tabbys breath moved Rustys earfur.

But he was determined not to lose. And calling him a kittypet wouldn't go unpunished.

The ginger gathered all his strength in his legs and jumped to his right side with all his might.

Longtail, was thrown of his back and got buried under Rusty, belly facing Rusty.

And he used his opportunity.

In a heartbeat had Rusty gotten on his paws again and drew his claws along Longtails body. Not directly over his soft belly, but his chest and flanks, not heavily injuring the tom, but making him feel pain.

His last act was to slash at Longtails ear, before putting his paw down on Longtails throat, claws outstretched, declaring the end of the battle.

"I've seen rabbits who put up more of a fight then you did."

Just then rose the sun between the trees and sent her soothing warmth down on his orange pelt.

He enjoyed the sunrise for a heartbeats longer and then took a few steps backwards, away from Longtail.

The clearing was silent. The clan had watched the battle in awe and it was obvious that most of them hadn't expected Rusty to win. Only Lionheart and Bluestar where acting normal. The later one was also the first to rise her voice.

"That is enough!" The crowd parted to make room for Bluestar to come closer.

"The newcomer has proven his abilitys and worth to the clan in a fair battle under the eyes of Starclan and will be accepted into our ranks."

No one interrupted this time, she walked closer to Rusty, until she whispered into his ear, so he was to onlyone who could here her words.

"You know, the sunlight makes your pelt look like set ablaze."

Rusty knew that already, but the way she was telling him this, made it sound almost cryptic. Like they had a greater meaning.

But Bluestar decided not to give Rusty the time to think about her words, as she was already continuing her speech.

"You have fought well and our ancestors approve your joining.

You will train as a fully accepted Thunderclan apprentice, you will follow the Warriorcode, you will listen to your superiors and you devote yourself fully to your new clan. Do you accept these conditions?"

She didn't have to ask this question, they both knew that. Rusty had learned enough about the Warriorcode from Lionheart to know the main concepts and understood why how things worked.

His answer was clear and his voice strong.

"Yes, Bluestar."

"Then, with the approval of Starclan, am I, Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, accepting you into Thunderclan. From the day on, until he earns his warrior name, will this apprentice be known as Firepaw, in honor to his flame colored pelt and the fire in his heart."

Bluestar made a step back and allowed the rest of the clan to welcome the apprentice.

To Firepaws delight was the following silence lasted only a heartbeat long, because Graypaw was instantly beside him and greeted him with his new name.

"Firepaw, what a fitting name!" The smile on the gray toms face was huge.

The rest of the clan soon followed. All Firepaw could hear were friendly, welcoming voices,where ever he looked, he found kind smiles. He was truly happy.

"You fought really well! That was awesome!" Graypaws voice brought him back to reality.

"Longtail provoked it. And thanks." Firepaw smiled back. "By the way, where did he go? I can't see him anywhere." The crows was slowly dissolving, but there was so trace of the pale, brown tom, expect for some drops of blood on the ground.

"He probably withdraw back to the medical den, to get himself fixed up. You beat him pretty bad, you know?"

Firepaw licked his ginger chest fur in embarrassment.

"Sounds reasonable." And then something occurred to him.

"So we are going to train together, right?"

"Yeah, you are right!" The toms grin grew even wider.

"And Ravenpaw, Sandpaw and Dustpaw too."

Firepaws ears pricked up. "There are more apprentices?"

He hadn't expected that. He thought Bluestar stated the clan had few apprentices.

 _So how much apprentices are normally around?_

"Yeah, you have to meet them!" With a bit less enthusiasm he added: "Well, Ravenpaw at least. Sandpaw and Dustpaw are no fun to be around."

"Is Ravenpaw here then?"

"No, he got to go on borderpatrol near Riverclan border when the sun passed the treetops."

Gaypaws voice carried a faint trace of envy.

"So he had to sleep. He should get up soon, as the sun is already rising between the trees. Tigerclaw doesn't like to be kept waiting."

 _All those new names._ It was a bit much for Firepaw on his first night. Or day, since the sun had already started its journey.

A deeper voice from behind tore him from his thoughts and frightened him. "Don't worry, You will get used to it in no time."

It was a large, white tom.

"I said that out loud?" Firepaw now was really embarrassed.

The warrior chuckled. "Yes, you did. I'm Whitestorm by the way." After a quick inspection he added: "And the name Firepaw fits indeed."

Firepaw was about to respond, but was cut of by a huge yawn escaping his mouth.

Whitestorm chuckled again. "You should get some sleep. You won't train today, but should be awake nonetheless. You can meet Ravenpaw and the others another time."

And with a glance to Graypaw and an amused purr he added: "Who knows, maybe Ravenpaw will have an exciting story to listen to, when he comes back."

While Graypaw seemed about the protest, could Firepaw only agree. He just noticed how tired he was. He had been awake since last sunrise after all.

"You might be right, what use could I be to the clan if I can't even keep my eyes open?"

He wanted to start moving, but realized something. He had no idea where to go. The camp was pretty big and Firepaw had no clue where an apprentice could sleep.

"Graypaw, why don't you guide our new latest apprentice to the den?" Firepaw gave a grateful glance back to the big tom.

"No problem, Whitestorm. I was about to get some sleep anyway." Turning back to Firepaw he added: "Come, I'll show you a lace to sleep"

"Thanks."

Graypaw turned around and walked straight towards a treestump with a big clump of ferns beside it.

Firepaw followed his friend and listened to the cats around the clearing, waiting for the sun to rise high, washing themselves and talking. It was peaceful.

They arrived at the fern and Graypaw vanished inside, with Firepaw following straight behind.

It was dark inside. Firepaw could smell more cats. 3 in fact. And one was snoring particular loud.

"This is the apprentice-den. Its now as big as the warrior-den but it's comfortable. And this" - Graypaw nodded to the snoring cat - "Is Ravenpaw. I'm sure you will like him."

"Where can I sleep?" Firepaw still didn't know of any rules considering dens.

"Wherever you would like to sleep, just scrap some moss together and make yourself comfortable. Just don't lie to close to Sandpaw or Dustpaw, trust me, they won't thank you if you do."

The the gray tom, who almost vanished within the dark surroundings, laid down in a flat hollow beside Ravenpaw and put his head on his paws. "Sleep tight" Where his last words.

Firepaw laid down a mouse length beside the two and turned around his own axis a few times.

 _Finally some rest._

It had been a long, exhausting day. But a good one nonetheless. He just wished that Lumpy could see him now. His dream lives on.

He felt the soothing darkness claiming him and let himself drift away into the calming blackness.

* * *

 **Screams were all he could hear.**

Blood was all he could smell.

Heat was all he could feel.

And his eyes only registered darkness.

And yet he knew exactly where he was.

But something was different.

He wasn't alone, not at all.

Many voices of many different cats could be heard, some where screaming, some where hissing and others where pleading.

He could smell too many cats to distinguish, especially with the overwhelming blood-stench in the air.

He now felt the heat of battle around him, furious moving bodies brushing past him, attacking, hurting each other.

But he couldn't see anything.

He was still wrapped in the bitch black darkness.

But that wasn't the worst part.

He couldn't move at all.

He could literally taste the dying cats around him, but wasn't allowed to help.

He couldn't even comfort them.

His body was frozen in place.

And then something new happened.

First a surprised mewl and then a terrible bang, mixed with a disgusting cracking noise.

All fighting cats where silence immediately.

From the crowed came a wail of horror as the cats split apart.

A single image found its way through the darkness.

A large pile of debris at the foot of huge rocks.

A tail was hanging out of the stone pile.

And a lonely tom standing in front of it. His face was hidden by shadows.

The image vanished as fast as it appeared.

He could feel the crowed splitting up. No words where said.

His time was up, he could feel it.

The warmth was gone, as was the blood or the noises.

Darkness was once again claiming him.

The feeling in his limbs was gone.

But before he blacked out, he saw one last image.

The same cat that had been standing in front of the rocks was lying on the ground.

Bloodied

Beaten

Dead

The silhouette of another cat could be seen right infront of him, his back turned towards Firepaw.  
He could only make out broad shoulders and dark fur.

"Beware of the traiter within your ranks." The voice frightened him, since it seemed to come out of nowhere and at the same time echoed from everywhere. "Hostile clans aren't the only danger one will have to face." It was the that females voice again.  
"Keep your eyes focused and claws sharpened. One day you will have to face your fate."

And before he could think about her message, turned the large tom around and revealed threatening, amber eyes.

And then he was gone.

 **Uhaaw, don't ask me what went wrong there. I wanted to make the fight longer, but no matter how much I wrote, it just felt stretched. So I cut it again and it's like this now. And then I didn't had the time, nor the nerves to go further into the ceremony.  
** **So that's it again I guess. Sorry for the short, strange chapter again and see ya next time!  
**


	5. No Life without death

**_Chapter five: No Life without death_** ** _  
_**

 **So, so, so, what have we here? After all this time, you are _finally_ back, eh? _Took you long enough..._  
Well, at least you are here now, that's what matter right? Live in the here and now, not dwell upon the past. Or something like that?  
** **Someone wise once told me those words a long time ago... If only I could remember his name...  
Ah, what does it matter, he is long gone anyways...  
So I suspect you are here for the usual, eh? Of course you are, what else could someone want from me anyways...** **  
Just sit back and relax - oh and try not to sleep in on me this time, all right?  
**

 **First of all I have to inform you about this chapter:  
** **It's pretty** **similar** **to the actual passage from the original book, because I felt like it needed to be in here, but I couldn't really change much about the content. That's why this – and probably the next – chapter(s) won't feature any major new content. Sorry.**

 **Now you might skip the rest again. Enjoy!  
As usual I will just ... rant about life again. **

**I swear... I have too much inspiration, or too many ideas for what is yet to come in the future then for what I'm supposed to work on _now.  
_ I just can't concentrate on the here and now. Oh and I occupied myself with a certain film and cartoon series (again) and was very busy reading and watching them that I barely got time for _anything_. Can you guess what I've been watching/reading?  
**

 **So yeah, despite of the effort of the vets (that's the name of a doctor for animals, right?) my cat died in the end and well yeah …**  
 **It's kinda ironic that I wrote about a cats _death_ just a few chapters ago and now one of my cats in real life _with the same name_ dies, don't you agree?**  
 **And can you figure out how my cats name was ?**

 **Wow two non-content question for you to answer the same chapter. That makes two more then usual... Let's play a game, shall we? If you get one question right then I will give you a cookie the next time I see you and if you're wrong with both you own me one, deal?  
(The fact that I'm a terrible baker (? correct word ?) is ****irrelevant...)**

 **It's really getting late and I promised myself I would get more then 4 hours sleep this night, so I'm not going to continue ranting about life for now. (wasn't that bad this time I guess... well, be happy that I spare you that much of my** **unhappiness...)**

 **I am sorry (again, huh?) but I really wanted to get another chapter out to Christmas, or new year at least, but chances that I will accomplish this goal are about 0% Too many reasons too list now (and i don't have the patience this time...) and you are a smart one, so if you really tried you could figure it probably out on your own.  
**

 **Tell me one thing please, is someone actually reading those? Not that I would stop adding it, but I was just curious.**

 **Then again the usual you all know:**

 **Warrior Cats belong to Erin Hunter(s)**

 **Enjoy...**

One day.

Was it really too much to ask for?

" _Firepaw!"_

One day without problems, without interference, just peace?

It must have been moons now, since Rusty could rest one day without worring about his survival, without being endangered by rogues or Bloodclan.

" _Wake up!"_

One would think that he deserved some rest by now, but fate obviously decided otherwise.

He had yet to open his eyes from sleep, but could already hear the tumult outside, particular the noisy cat poking its paw in Rustys flank. And he could smell something strange in the air. _Fear?_

He sighed. There was no point in trying to sleep any longer, he knew he had to get up. Otherwise the nuisance by his side would poke him to death.

The moment he opened his eyes, they instantly meet with a pair of amber colored once, surrounded by thick, gray, fur.

"You scared me, Firepaw!" Complained the voice belonging to the pair of eyes. "You where twitching and mewling in your sleep."

 _Huh?_ Still dazed from sleep, wasn't he really understanding the meaning behind the toms words.

 _What is that tom talking about?_

What did he call him?

"Firep- ...?"

He never ended his sentence, because images flashed in his mind.

And he remembered.

The fight with Graypaw, followed by the conversation with Bluestar and his journey to the camp. He remembered his introduction to the clan and the fight with Longtail which ended in his victory and welcoming in the clan.

And then he went to sleep with Graypaw at his side.

 _How could I forget that easily?_

"Ehm – Right, right, I remember. Happened quit much yesterday, huh?"

Graypaw laughed "Yeah, _Quit much_ is a nice way of putting it."

Firepaw could only grin. One heartbeat had he been a lonely rouge and the next was he a member of Thunderclan, with a whole new family.

 _Speaking of Thunderclan,_ Firepaw thought, _What are they doing outside?_

He could hear many cats whispering from outside the den and felt tension in the air.

"What is going on outside anyway?"

"I don't know myself," Graypaw explained, while licking his paw, "but since you are awake now, we could both have a look together."

"Sound good, lets go." Firepaw replied.

His eyes, which where used to the dim shadows of the apprentice den, where blinded for a few heartbeats by the bright sunlight outside. It was apparently past sunhigh already.

Graypaw beside him took a moment to adjust for himself as well.

"Why is everyone so on edge?" came the question Firepaw himself had in mind from his companion to his right side.

"Can't you smell it, Graypaw?" Firepaw hadn't noticed the sound of paw steps from the left, neither the new scent around them. Until a strong and yet friendly voice reached him.

"Smell it?" Graypaw replied, "What do you mean, Lionheart?"

Firepaw took a deep breath and indeed, there was a very familiar taste to the air. Painfully familiar.

"Blood"

Lionheart only nodded to his observation with a grim look on his face.

"You are right, blood lies in the air."

Graypaw had his ears lie flat to on his head. "But what is happening, are we under attack?" His voice sounded as troubled as his face expressed.

"No, it doesn't seam like we are under attack, at least not here." Came Lionhearts reply, " But that's about all we know so far, the scent had just appeared and w-" His sentence was cut of abruptly.

"SPOTTEDLEAF!"

The scream of a she-cat echoed through the air, silencing all conversations immediately.

Firepaw had only halfway turned around towards the sound, when a gray tabby queen dashed out of the gorse tunnel, her face showing horror and fear.

"Spottedleaf", the queen repeated, "You have to come quick!"

And before he had moved a single paw had a orange-brown tortoiseshell she-cat, already crossed half the clearing. One would think she was flying if not for her paws touching the ground.

"What happened, Brindleface?"

The whole clan had gathered around Brindleface, while Graypaw and Firepaw stood a few tail lengths away. "Is this ' _Spottedleaf_ ' y- I mean _our_ medicine cat?"

Graypaw nodded. The gray toms amber eyes where fully focused on the conversation.

"It's Ravenpaw. He … "

The gorse tunnel trembled and the figure emerging from it became the center of attention.

A horrified gasp came from the clan.

In front of them stood a skinny tom, pitch black except for a white dash on his chest and a long tail, with a white tip. The disturbing part was the blood gushing from a deep wound on his shoulder soaking the dust scarlet red. With amber eyes wide open and breaths coming heavy and short, was the tom a terrible sight.

Graypaw gasped again. "That's Ravenpaw!"

"Ravenpaw?"Firepaw remembered that name. "Wasn't he supposed to be on patrol with Tigerclaw?"

"Not only Tigerclaw but Redtail as well." Graypaw must have noticed Firepaws confusion and went on. "Redtail is Bluestars deputy. Not as strong and big as Tigerclaw, but smart and quick."

Firepaw just nodded. He knew about the position of deputy, just hadn't known the name of the cat.

While Ravenpaw was still trying to catch his breath, rustled the gorse tunnel a third time.

This time a pale ginger tabby she-cat entered the camp.

"I'm sorry, Brindleface," where the first words the newcomer uttered. "But he refused to stop, said he had to speak to Bluestar immediately." Said the she-cat while panting slightly.

"Ravenpaw." spoke a new voice.

On top of highrock stood Bluestar.

"Tell us what happened to you. Where are Redtail and Tigerclaw?"

The poor, black tom seemed even more cowed then before.

His shoulders where shaking."R- Redtail is dead!"

For half a heartbeat the whole clan fell into deadly silence, until the first shouts of disbelief broke out.

"You'r lying!" Was one of the first words Firepaw could make out. Many more followed.

"You must be wrong!" Cried a she-cat from the other side of the clearing.

The remaining voices drowned in the great tumult following.

Ravenpaw was still shaking and his would obviously had it's toll on him.

"Be Quiet!" Bluestar shouted, effectively bathing the clearing in a tense silence

"Go on, Ravenpaw. We need to here your story."

"RiverC- Clan attacked us." Was what he got out, before he fell into a small coughed.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened." urged Bluestar.

Ravenpaw was still panting and stood oddly crooked on 3 legs, while the dust to his paws slowly turned red.

But nonetheless the tom continued.

"W-We where at the small creek, near the S-Sunningrocks, when we encountered 5 RiverClan warriors led by Oakheart."

Some gasps escaped the clan cats when the name was mentioned, but Firepaw had never heard of that cat.

"Graypaw" he turned to his friend. "What's so special about Oakheart?"

Graypaw looked at him as if he was crazy until the tom realized that Firepaw had

"Oakheart is one of the biggest and strongest cats of the forest and said to be a fearsome warrior. He is also the deputy of Riverclan."

Firepaws mouth formed an 'O', now he understood.

When the crowed had calmed down and Ravenpaw gathered his thoughts, the black tom continued.

"Redtail told them to leave our territory and that intruders wont be tolerated. But Oakheart told him that they needed food.

A-And then they attacked."

Ravenpaw visibly tensed upon thinking back to the fight.

"It was a savage battle. Tigerclaw and Redtail fought like true Tigerclan warriors but RiverClan still outnumbered us heavily. I ...I could see Redtail fighting two Riverclan cats, they were getting closer to Sunningrocks every move they made. A-And then R-Redt-tail m-"

The black toms front legs gave in under his body and he hit the ground with a small thud, eyes closed. The pretty medicine cat from before was already at the toms side, and most of the clan was gathering around them. An anxious murmuring was omnipresent.

"Will he live?" Asked the she-cat that entered the camp right after Ravenpaw.

Firepaw could see the apprentices flank slowly rising and falling, which eased his mind a bit.

He was surprised that the apprentice had even managed to hold on as long as he did. From what Firepaw had picked up, Ravenpaw must have ran a long way from one border to the camp.

"Don't worry, Goldenflower," responded Spottedleaf "He is not in a critical condition."

The pale ginger she-cats shoulders visibly eased.

"But I do want him in my den. His wounds are still dangerous, plus the chance of an infection rises with every heartbeat we waste."

"Very well" Bluestar had risen her voice again. "Goldenflower, Brindleface, help Spottedleaf bring him to her den."

She turned to the whole clan again. "We have to discu-" But stopped. The entrance was moving yet again.

From the tunnel emerged a broad shouldered, big, dark tabby tom, marked with too many battle scars to count. The warrior reeled while walking toward the clan, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Most of the blood didn't come from his wound though. From his jaws hung a lifeless body of another tom, nearly tattered beyond recognition.

The body seemed familiar, even through Firepaw was sure he hadn't seen him yesterday.

But he _felt_ that he knew the tom from somewhere.

While the clan broke out into wails of sorrow, turned Firepaw around to his gray friend.

"Who is this?"

"This is – or was Redtail, Bluestars deputy." Graypaws didn't react as strong as the rest of the clan, but his voice was still filled with shock and grief, his ears lay flat in horror and, even though Firepaw had joined the clan just half a day ago, he could still sympathize. They where a big family and he himself knew very well how much it hurts to lose someone.

"Tigerclaw, how did that happen?" Bluestar demanded. Even her voice, which had been mostly neutral until now, gave away her pain, her agony. But she still pressed on.

"Redtail died a honorable death, Bluestar, struck down by non other then Oakheart himself."

The leader winced at the mentioning of the Riverclan warrior. Surely would the leader of Thunderclan not fear a warrior from another clan?

"I wasn't fast enough to save him, but managed to catch Oakheart and killed him thanks to Redtails groundwork. He died not in vain, for I belief we won't see another Riverclan hunter near our border any time soon."

Tigerclaw had laid Redtail body down in the middle of the clearing and slowly, one by one, were the cats gathering around the body.

"What are they doing?" He had once again directed the words towards Graypaw, who starred with a sad look towards the former warrior.

"They are paying their last respect for a fallen comrade, before his spirit joins Starclan."

"Starclan?" He had never heard about this. Then again had he never known there where actual clans in the first place...

"It's the place all dead warrior spirits go. They are watching over us. You can see them in cloudless nights, high above the ground, when the silverpelt* can be seen."

Bluestar jumped down form the Highrock and proceeded towards her fallen deputy, just when Graypaw finished.

She laid down beside Redtail and began to wash the dappled fur of the fallen warrior, while the clan waited patiently.

Firepaw didn't know how long she sat there, all by herself, grooming an old friend for the last time, while the sun worked it's way slowly across the sky, but after a period that could have been a few heartbeats and yet felt like countless moons the same time, lifted Bluestar her head again.

"Redtail was a brave warrior. His loyalty towards Thunderclan was never doubted. Whenever I had worries or needed help, I could always rely on his sound advise. He was one of the most selfless warriors that could be found in this forest, always putting his clan before his own needs."

Bluestar paused to let her gaze wander over the gathered cats.

"He would have been an admirable Leader."

After looking up to the sky for a few heartbeats, redirected Bluestar her gaze back towards Redtail and laid her head back on his fur.

Slowly began other members of the clan – Firepaw noticed mostly older warriors – to move besides Bluestar to mourn for their fallen comrade.

Firepaw considered joining them, but decided against it, since he never met Redtail in person and found most apprentice and young warriors just watching from afar. Two exceptions where Sandpaw and Dustpaw. He couldn't find those two in the camp.

"Do you know where Dustpaw and Sandpaw are? I can't see them anywhere."

"They are probably out hunting with Whitepelt." Answered Graypaw. But as soon as the tom had finished, he stiffened.

"Dustpaw won't like this at all." He said with an edge to his voice.

"And Sandpaw will be really depressed."

Upon noticing Firepaws irritation, the tom added in a low voice:

"Redtail was Dustpaws mentor and Sandpaws father. They where both really close to him."

Firepaws eyes had to be as wide as the full moon. He understood.

 _They are just_ _apprentices_ _and already lost someone dear._ _That is terrible._

"You are right, Firepaw, it is. I really feel sorry for them. They don't deserve this."

"... I said that out loud _again_?" He really needed to get that under control.

Graypaw just chuckled slightly. "Yes, you did."

The pair fell into silence, while watching the clan in silence, until Firepaw couldn't stand it anymore.

"You are not going to mourn with them?"

"Don't misunderstand, I am grieving, but I never really knew Redtail like Bluestar or Lionheart did and I wasn't close to him through family bonds. I'll leave them their space."

Firepaw understood Graypaws reasoning and just nodded.

Watching the clan mourn was part of his new life, he knew that, but wanted to keep his mind off those dark thoughts.

"Do you want to come with me and have a look how Ravenpaw is coping?"

Graypaw seemed to welcome a change. "Sure, I wouldn't mind exchanging this sorrowful atmosphere for some peace."

The healers den wasn't far from their position and they arrived there quickly.

After entering through a tunnel of fern could Firepaw spot a black pelt slowly but steadily rising in a nest of fern. He nodded the direction for Graypaw and together they walked over to the sleeping tom.

To Firepaws supprise was half of Ravenpaws upper body covered in cobwebs.

 _Just like back in the abandoned twoleg nest._ Seems like he did at least something right.

"Leave my patient some room to breath, will you?!"

The two friends turned around simultaneously just to find themselves face to face with a rather unpleased looking Spottedleaf.

"I'm sure Ravenpaw appreciates company when he wakes up, but he should rest for now. You two can come later when..."

"I _knew_ I could find my apprentice in here."

The massive body of Tigerclaw pushed through the fern tunnel, face revealing no emotions except slight … _anger?_

 _One would think a mentor would be concerned when his apprentice gets injured..._

Firepaw mad sure he had kept his mouth shut this time. He was in no place to criticize Tigerclaw, nor did he want to anger the warrior.

The tom moved towards the unconscious apprentice, overlooking Firepaw and Graypaw entirely and ignoring the complaining medicin cat.

"Get up you good for nothing tom and get back to training, laying around all day won't keep the clan save!"

Firepaw was surprised at the fierceness of Tigerclaws words.

 _He is not a mentor to forfeit with, that's for sure._

"Calm down, Tigerclaw, he isn't even conscious! And even if he where wouldn't I allow him to jump around for your plesure just yet. He could reopen his would and would have to come back here sooner then you can say' _Patience_ ',if you even know that word."

Firepaw held his breath. He hadn't expected such a furious reaction from Spottedleaf, especially towards a strong warrior like Tigerclaw.

He and Graypaw exchanged worried glances. They awaited Tigerclaws response together.

Tigerclaw seemed just about to explode: ears laying flat, eyes narrowed and claws unsheathed, dug into the soft ground.

But Spottedleaf remained perfectly calm.

"Even you, Tigerclaw, should know not to mess with a medicine cat. Especially if she's the one who patches your sorry pelt back together after another _heroic_ battle." She pronounced ' _heroic_ ' as pejoratively as Firepaw thought possible.

Tigerclaw didn't move for a few heartbeats, he seemed unsure of his next action; if he should claw her ears off or give in.

To Firepaws relief did Tigerclaw decide for the later.

"I would never turn against you, dear Spottedleaf." The toms voice was surprisingly... calm and almost... gentle.

"I hope you can _help_ my apprentice back to his paws, so we can continue our training as fast as possible."

Tigerclaw seemed satisfied with the conversations, since he abruptly turned around and nearly ran into Firepaw.

The dark, tabby tom gave a quick look over Firepaw, who in return lifted his head to directly make contact with the toms eyes.

Amber eyes.

"So you must be our new apprentice, Firepaw am I right?"

Firepaw didn't break eye contact when he answered with a strong voice. Showing weakness was the last thing he wanted to do in that situation.

"Yes, Tigerclaw, I joined the clan to be trained as a honorable Thunderclan warrior."

"Then I will observer your progress with great interest, apprentice."

The big tom gave Graypaw a small nod and then left through the fern.

Firepaw released a breath he didn't know he was holding and Graypaw besides him eased visibly as well.

"I don't know about you, but he seemed a bit … grumpy." Firepaw had no better way to describe the behavior of the older tom.

"Yeah, you better get used to it, Tigerclaw is not exactly the friendliest cat in the forest."

"Y-You have n-no idea..." A new voice had spoken, it was Ravenpaw. He sounded better already. Not as scared and pained like the first time he had heard him speak.

"Sssch, you should rest and not speak, let your injuries heal. And you two-" She turned her gaze towards Firepaw and Graypaw. "Leave him alone now, you can talk later, but he should really rest now." Her gaze was friendly, but stern at the same time. She was serious about her job, he acknowledged that.

Firepaw nodded his head in agreement.

"See you soon, Ravenpaw"

"Come on, Firepaw, let us get out of here and find something to eat, I'm starving!"

Before he could even reply had Graypaw already turned and stoormed into the fern tunnel.  
Firepaw just chuckled lightly to himself and followed his friend to the clearing.

 *** _Authors Note_ I actually have no idea if it's really called _Silverpelt_ in English. I'm sorry if I'm mistaken but I am really too tied to look it up now. But I'm sure you would figure out what I meant even if it's not the right word, you are a smart one after all.**


End file.
